Chapter Summaries

Exhausted by the war effort, Theus dreamed that he could not remember his original name and questioned who he was. After realizing he was still trapped in a dream, he used Return to leave the dream and planned to alert Gwen and the Northern Territory from the Golden Throne.

• Theus struggled to stay awake while handling Castel’s wartime administration and fell into a half-lucid dream.
• Theus realized he could remember Blue Star and its technology but could not recall his former workplace or his real name.
• Theus awoke from one dream, then noticed that he still could not remember his name and concluded he remained trapped in another.
• Theus used Return to escape toward the Golden Throne and planned to warn Gwen and the people in the Northern Territory about the apparent attack.

He awoke from a long dream in a crowded Hall of Thrones, where people discussed battles against Bone White Crow and the Sea God. A voice addressed him as Prometheus, but the Golden Throne remained empty.

• He heard people debate names and discuss the battle against Bone White Crow and the Sea God.
• He opened his eyes and saw people chatting, arguing, planning battles, and examining mechanical blueprints in the Hall of Thrones.
• He wondered where he was and who he was.
• Someone offered him sweet wine and called him Prometheus.

Theus woke in his office after a disturbing dream of the Throne Hall and ordered an emergency response when he feared he had been attacked or cursed. As Ash secured the cathedral, Theus questioned whether his past and even his existence were fabricated after discovering he remembered knowledge but not his life before transmigrating.

• Theus stabbed his palm with a letter opener to test whether he was dreaming, then watched the Symbiotic Pact heal the wound.
• Ash arrived, ordered a Level III alert, and organized the Banshees and Faithguard Army to secure Castel Cathedral.
• Theus recalled the dream's Throne Hall and the name Prometheus, then wondered what his original name had been.
• Theus tried to remember his life before transmigrating and realized he recalled only the vague label of being an engineer, not any personal memories.
• Theus reflected that he knew about group chats and memes without remembering using them, and feared he was a fabricated existence.

Chloe reminded Theus that Castel was a shared dream she would protect even after death, helping him resolve his doubts and reaffirm his will to change the world. After learning that Lina had performed a ritual aimed at Castel, Theus asked Chloe for help, while Nora and Gwen awaited reinforcements at the battlefield.

• Chloe told Theus that she remained devoted to Castel because it had given her refuge and the chance to pursue knowledge, and joked that she still wanted overtime pay.
• Theus realized that his identity and memories mattered less than his genuine desire to change the world, and he refused to submit even if he failed or lost everything.
• Theus and the Banshees learned that Lina had sacrificed Holy See soldiers and priests in an unknown ritual directed at Castel, so Theus asked Chloe to help investigate.
• Nora told Gwen she could not identify the ritual and said they should wait for the reinforcements she had contacted.
• Patriarch Ignati arrived to join Nora and Gwen at the battlefield.

Ignati examined the sacrificial site and discovered that Nora had an unexplained connection to Castel, then identified the corpse arrangement as a ritual to summon a god rather than an evil god. He said gods were an ancient, dangerous secret and that they no longer existed.

• Ignati arrived and explained that the Northern Territory temple’s reconstruction needed supplies and knowledge rather than his presence.
• Ignati questioned Nora’s assumption that the corpses pointed toward Castel and found a strange connection between her and the city in the Sea of Unconsciousness.
• Gwen described Nora playing football with Banshees and hanging from a church roof, prompting Ignati to suspect those activities had created a Transcendent connection.
• Ignati and the others examined the thousands of arranged corpses and identified the site as a summoning ritual.
• Ignati clarified that the ritual was meant to summon a god, then told Nora that gods were an ancient subject of dangerous secret histories and no longer existed.

Nora learned that the ritual in Castel could not summon a God, but she still planned to warn the city about Lina. Ignati agreed to fight alongside Castel, and Nora later drove a self-propelled gun to Bettis’s fried fish shop, startling her while paying for food.

• Ignati told Nora that Gods were beyond mortal weapons, had disappeared, and could not be summoned by the ritual.
• Nora decided to send Castel a warning about Lina, while Ignati said he had answered Theus’s call and would fight for Castel.
• Ignati revealed he was eager to try driving a self-propelled gun, and Castel and Blood Port continued mobilizing for war.
• Nora drove the self-propelled gun to Bettis’s shop and ordered fried fish and French fries through its loudspeaker.
• Bettis saw the head inside the gun’s crew compartment, screamed, and hurriedly passed in the takeout box.
• Nora jumped onto the counter and nudged a coin pouch toward Bettis to pay.

Bettis recalled how she first befriended Big Nora after the headless knight came to her fish-and-chips stall for leftover fries. In the present, Nora nudged a money pouch toward Bettis beside a self-propelled artillery vehicle.

• Bettis remembered that Big Nora wandered around Blood Port and that residents were afraid of her.
• One night, Big Nora pointed at the leftover fries at Bettis’s stall, and Bettis packed them for her.
• Bettis followed Big Nora to the seawall and watched her feed fries to seagulls.
• Big Nora invited Bettis to sit beside her, and the two shared fries while watching the moonlit sea.
• After that night, Bettis made extra fries for Big Nora, and they regularly met by the sea.
• In the present, Big Nora nudged a money pouch toward Bettis with her teeth while Bettis stared into space.

Nora spent the day exploring Blood Port in her self-propelled artillery and reflected on her return to the battlefield. Theus reassured her that Castel was preparing to meet the Holy See’s tank forces, revealing a large shipment of new self-propelled artillery.

• Bettis accepted payment from Nora for the food and kept one Leo after Nora left.
• Nora drove around Blood Port all day while Theus arranged Mystic Society personnel to keep the roads clear for her.
• At the docks, Theus filled Nora’s tank with Pollution and discussed her new artillery body, her wish to regain her original body, and possible future machines.
• Nora said she wanted to return to the front, but Theus told her that Ignati and other Burier companions were already heading there.
• Theus ordered workers to uncover the cargo, revealing new self-propelled artillery on freighters, docks, and secured trains.

Nora saw the scale of Castel’s artillery production and decided to go to the front lines, then stopped at the fried fish shop and found her body working there with Bettis. The chapter ended as Nora flipped over the counter to reach the fries Big Nora had offered her.

• Nora saw rows of self-propelled artillery and learned from Theus how quickly factories could produce them.
• Nora asked to go to the front lines to witness the artillery in battle, and Theus agreed to end her leave early.
• Nora packed fried fish before leaving and found Big Nora working at Bettis’s shop in an apron.
• Big Nora offered Nora a huge serving of fries, and Nora flipped over the counter when she remembered she had no hands.

Nora brought the other Nora to the front lines, where the Holy See’s Steam Tanks faced Castel’s self-propelled artillery. At the camp, Nora learned that the Silent Temple’s priests had all come to fight and that even a legendary driver had to queue for a chance to enter the battlefield.

• Nora put the other Nora and some fried fish into a self-propelled artillery vehicle and sent her away, leaving Bettis to wonder whether the two Noras made each other whole.
• Nini watched the scene from a rooftop as the Holy See struggled against Castel’s self-propelled artillery after its Steam Tanks had briefly turned the war around.
• Nora drove her artillery to the front lines, relying on its Machine Soul to help keep it running during the journey.
• Helena welcomed Nora to the camp and explained that the Silent Temple’s priests had mobilized, but there were more volunteers than opportunities to fight.
• Nora asked Helena to register her for battle, but Helena told her that even a legendary artillery driver had to line up.

Nora questioned why the army was not advancing faster, but Galahad and Isabella showed her how individual powers and artillery were limited by Castel’s industrial output and battlefield logistics. Isabella explained that the advance toward Rhine depended on supply routes and terrain, leaving Nora with a clearer picture of why the army was moving cautiously.

• Nora found Galahad testing his Knight ability by firing accurately from a self-propelled artillery piece while driving at full speed.
• Isabella showed Nora the growing number of self-propelled artillery pieces arriving from Castel, and Nora and Galahad acknowledged how small individual strength seemed beside industrial production.
• Nora asked Isabella why the army was not launching a full-scale advance, and Isabella showed her the map of the route from Tis to Rhine.
• Isabella explained that difficult terrain made it hard to transport heavy weapons and that self-propelled artillery required extensive logistical and maintenance support.

Isabella and Galahad formed Gale Squad to infiltrate enemy territory and investigate the Holy See’s war fortresses. The squad encountered a cavalry force and crushed it in a brief clash.

• Isabella warned Nora that the Holy See’s war fortresses were a serious threat, and she and Galahad decided to use mobile artillery to scout them.
• Galahad formed Gale Squad, including Nora and Granny, to conduct reconnaissance behind enemy lines.
• Gale Squad advanced under camouflage and radio silence, with Granny using her [Nymph] abilities to scout and relay messages.
• Granny spotted a cavalry squad approaching, and Galahad ordered the team to engage.
• The Holy See cavalry charged the self-propelled artillery, and Galahad’s squad crushed them in moments.

Galahad led Gale Squad through the Holy See's camp, where their bombardment caused confusion before priests calmed the soldiers with the [Moon Candle]. Steam Tanks then tracked and pursued the squad, which reached the War Fortress and found that their artillery barely damaged it.

• Galahad ordered Gale Squad to bombard the Holy See's camp and keep moving after the [Moon Candle] restored order.
• Several priests watched Gale Squad disappear into the darkness, and Steam Tanks began following the squad without guidance.
• Steam Tanks tracked Gale Squad through the night and fired on them as they continued forward to avoid being surrounded.
• Gwen spotted the illuminated War Fortress, and Galahad ordered Gale Squad to stop briefly and fire at it.
• Gale Squad scored three hits on the War Fortress, but Granny reported that the shells caused only minor abrasions and that breaching it would take at least ten more barrages.

Galahad and the Gale Squad tried to escape the War Fortress after discovering its armor could withstand repeated artillery hits. The fortress’s barrage destroyed their vehicles, and after Galahad’s first attempt to disable its main cannon missed, he asked for one more chance.

• Galahad ordered the squad to withdraw by an alternate route after they concluded the War Fortress could be damaged by repeated hits to one spot.
• Grandma warned the squad as the War Fortress opened fire, and Gwen’s vehicle lost its barrel but remained mobile.
• The War Fortress’s main cannon fired, grazing Grandma’s vehicle and setting it ablaze, but Grandma escaped into Gwen’s compartment.
• Galahad prepared to stay behind and cover the squad until Nora asked whether he could fire a shell into the fortress’s main cannon.
• Galahad’s shot struck near the main cannon but only knocked its barrel crooked; when it corrected its aim, he asked the squad to give him one more chance.

Galahad’s shot caused the War Fortress’s energy buildup and ammunition depot to explode, sending Gale Squad fleeing and drawing armies from across the region toward the blast. The squad returned to Isabella’s front lines, while Theus ordered protective suits and called for Gaia to help prepare designs.

• Gwen withdrew into the crew compartment as Galahad prepared to fire, and Granny appeared on his turret to aid the shot.
• Galahad struck the War Fortress’s main cannon muzzle, triggering its stored energy and ammunition depot to explode; Granny reappeared charred, and Gwen pulled her inside as the shockwave swept the battlefield.
• Nora drove the artillery vehicle away from the blast while the explosion drew pursuing Imperial tanks and alerted forces at the Duchy of Tis and opposing Imperial lines.
• Isabella ordered her troops to advance, then rushed out of the command post when she heard Gale Squad had returned and prepared to lead the charge herself.
• Theus woke to news that the War Fortress had exploded and ordered protective suits for the front lines, asking Ash to bring Gaia so he could prepare designs.

After a devastating explosion intensified the war between Tis and the Holy See, Theus’s forces investigated the blast while helping stabilize the exhausted front. Theus ordered caution, more troops, and stronger weapons, then learned that Nini had resumed publishing a novel.

• Nora survived the explosion with severe burns and was sent to a hospital in Castel, while fighting between Tis and the Holy See escalated into a brutal two-day battle.
• Isabella returned from the battlefield bloodied and recognized that even as Tis’s commander, she could not control how the war ended.
• Theus sent Faithguard Army units to the front and began producing chemical protective suits and gas masks in case the Holy See had concealed weapons.
• Erwin reported that investigations of the explosion had failed because the Holy See heavily guarded the blast area, and that the front had settled into defensive positions as both sides’ morale collapsed.
• Theus told Erwin to keep the conflict under control, increase front-line troops, and press Richard to develop stronger weapons.
• Theus asked about Nini’s renewed newspaper, and Zoe clarified that Nini was publishing a novel.

Monica, reborn as Theus, failed to reach the Banshees and watched her attempt to develop Castel collapse under pirate extortion, rebellion, and the rising sea. After Nora and the others died in a Fishman attack, Monica woke again in Theus’s body and vowed to reclaim what belonged to her.

• Monica realized she had been reborn as Theus and tried, unsuccessfully, to contact the Banshees by diving into the sea.
• Monica attempted to industrialize Castel, but Jeremiah and the Black Sail Fleet destroyed her plans and forced her to brew Sweet Fruit Wine.
• Josh died after becoming a pirate, Gaia left school to prepare for marriage, and Ken was killed by raiding pirates.
• Alexei led a rebellion that killed Connor and Grandmother, while Chloe declared her agreement with Monica fulfilled and left.
• As the sea rose and Fishmen attacked Castel, Nora died and Monica realized the Banshees were gone and the island was unprepared.
• Monica woke again in Theus’s body and vowed to take back everything that belonged to her.

Theus confronted Nini after discovering that she had used research funds meant for a weapon against the Holy See to develop paid subscriptions for her novel. Nini claimed her unofficial histories could destabilize the Holy See through Cognitive Interference, and explained that Castel’s Banshee Inspection Squad helped prevent the same danger at home.

• Theus learned that readers had to sacrifice Leo to Nini to unlock paid chapters, and summoned Nini to explain her research.
• Nini fled when she found Theus waiting with her novel, but Ash soon brought her back in armor.
• Theus demanded to know how Nini’s paid-subscription system fulfilled her stated goal of creating a weapon against the Holy See.
• Nini explained that her newspaper’s unofficial histories could alter reality by shaping readers’ perceptions and trigger Cognitive Interference.
• Theus revealed that he had established the Banshee Inspection Squad to make Castel understand Nini’s stories were false and prevent a disaster.
• Nini argued that the Holy See lacked such a squad, leaving its people unable to distinguish her stories from reality.

Nini proposed using serialized novels to gather readers’ emotions and trigger Cognitive Interference, potentially granting Monica a god’s powers. Theus approved a monitored test but rejected the plan to make Monica a god, then considered whether his own popular science lectures could let him use similar influence.

• Nini explained that readers’ emotions could build through Monica’s tragic story and eventually alter reality through Cognitive Interference.
• Theus agreed the plan might work, and Nini said she had developed the method through newspapers and novels and could delay the climax to keep the experiment controlled.
• Nini revealed that Monica’s Banshee nature and Symbiotic Pact with Theus would protect her from Pollution if the interference took effect.
• Theus designated an island in Gem Bay as a testing ground and required readers to be monitored, recorded, and protected.
• Nini proposed revealing that Monica had once been a god, but Theus told her not to carry out that plan, while allowing it to remain a last-resort trump card.
• Theus suggested novels could also teach popular science and wondered whether his lectures and their connecting threads could let him present himself as a god.

Theus rejected the idea of becoming a god and considered how Cognitive Interference might work, while Zoe asked permission to write novels. As war tensions eased, Castel and Blood Port continued expanding their industries and armies, leaving the region poised for an uncertain future.

• Theus and Nini discussed whether the Banshees' devotion could have made him a god and agreed that the effects of Cognitive Interference needed investigation.
• Theus kept Zoe's novel and, after recalling her long-held wish to write, gave her permission to apply to Nini's project and delegate some of her work.
• Theus remembered that Zoe preferred Knight novels and worried that her writing might somehow cause Cognitive Interference.
• Castel's frontline situation grew calmer as friction between the Empire and Tis declined, though tensions continued beneath the surface.
• Blood Port rapidly expanded its industry and education, while the Faithguard Army of Empire Truth recruited more soldiers and maintained their training.